Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Directed by Mike Newell, the fourth installment to the Harry Potter series finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) wondering why his legendary scar -- the famous result of a death curse gone wrong -- is aching in pain, and perhaps even causing mysterious visions. Before he can think too much about it, however, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and/i>…
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Overview

Directed by Mike Newell, the fourth installment to the Harry Potter series finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) wondering why his legendary scar -- the famous result of a death curse gone wrong -- is aching in pain, and perhaps even causing mysterious visions. Before he can think too much about it, however, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he will attend his fourth year of magical education. Shortly after his reunion with his best friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), Harry is introduced to yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: the grizzled Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), a former dark wizard catcher who agreed to take on the infamous "DADA" professorship as a personal favor to Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). Of course, Harry's wishes for an uneventful school year are almost immediately shattered when he is unexpectedly chosen, along with fellow student Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), as Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which awards whoever completes three magical tasks the most skillfully with a thousand-galleon purse and the admiration of the international wizard community. As difficult as it is to deal with his schoolwork, friendships, and the tournament at the same time (not to mention his feelings toward the ever unfathomable Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Harry doesn't realize that the most feared wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort, is anticipating the tournament, as well. ~ Tracie Cooper

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Greg Fagan

Defying the theatrical tradition of lessening returns with each successive sequel, the series based on J. K. Rowling’s phenomenal book series takes another magical step forward with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is as solidly entertaining as any film that debuted in 2005. Like its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire adds another layer of darkness, earning a justified PG-13 rating (the series’ first) with some truly harrowing fantasy chills. There’s also a bath scene that gets a little creepy, in a little-girl-ghost-coming-on-to-a-boy-wizard way. It certainly fits the story’s underlying Hogwarts-on-Hormones theme, but little ones may have questions. There’s no question that British director Mike Newell has firm command of the material, though, as the story joins Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his loyal friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) for their fourth year at Hogwarts Academy -- just as it’s named the site of the year’s Triwizard Tournament, which will pit a competitor from Hogwarts against individual representatives from schools in Bulgaria and France. Things go weird when, in addition to spitting out a champion from each of the institutions, the wondrous Goblet of Fire spews out "Harry Potter" as well, and no one from Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) on down quite knows what to make of it. Evil’s afoot, specifically in the form of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), and even those who have not read the book will find the unfolding mystery and the action set pieces that punctuate it more than compelling. Which is a credit to Newell’s brilliant storytelling as well as the source material; there’s no need for Harry and friends to so much come of age, in a traditional cinematic story arc. Rather, they are now of age, and puberty’s complexities throw the social soup up in the air, adding emotional heft to the special-effects sequences. Newcomers Brendan Gleeson, as dark arts instructor Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody, and Miranda Richardson, as nosy tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter, play pivotal roles; and while that results in less screen time for favorites Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall), and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), they still make the most of their scenes. After all, it’s Harry's story; and this borderline-great Goblet of Fire really raises the cinematic ante for Order of the Phoenix, scheduled to arrive in November 2007.

All Movie Guide

Coming off the most vivid and satisfying entry in the series, Alfonso Cuarón's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the fourth installment can't help but seem a little disappointing. But that's not because Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has trouble keeping pace in the technical department, which might have been a concern given director Mike Newell's background in small-scale fare like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Donnie Brasco. No, the problem is built into the book. As J.K. Rowling tipped the scales with a novel almost 300 pages longer than any previous, the film version can't help but suffer from a sprawling quality that detracts from its cohesiveness. The Tri-Wizard Tournament certainly showcases some of the most glorious Potter visuals yet -- a gladiator-style dragon battle and an underwater rescue mission (Harry sprouts fins!) chief among them. But as an exhibition involving students -- even in the wizard world -- it gives pause, having irresponsibly dire hazards built in for the participants, some of whom are totally unwitting. (Such dark elements prompted the series' first PG-13 rating.) There's also a major plot contrivance that never sits well, namely, that Harry's friends turn against him over an incident not dissimilar to numerous others in his Hogwart's history, involving him being thrust into school-wide prominence ahead of the development of his peers. Given Harry's extreme celebrity, this should be par for the course rather than cause for abandonment. Overall, when making quibbles about a Harry Potter movie, it's all relative, and The Goblet of Fire continues the series' fine tradition, its stars transitioning into their late teens without seeming overly awkward. It's only appropriate that the threats against them should become more adult, a trend that will only deepen as future novels hit the screen.

Product Details

Release Date:

12/11/2007

UPC:

0085391156925

Original Release:

2005

Rating:

PG

Source:

Warner Home Video

Time:

2:37:00

Sales rank:

1,090

Special Features

Additional scenes; Conversations with the cast; Preparing for the Yule Bull; Reflections On the Fourth film; Harry Vs. the Horntail: the First task; Meet the champions; In Too Deep: the second task; The Maze: the third task; He who must not be named; Theatrical trailer